Large, utility-scale solar can help boost electricity generation, Pablos said, and big solar projects are the most economic and the best way to spread costs among ratepayers.

Pablos praised recent moves by CPS Energy, which signed an agreement with OCI Solar Power that would give it access to 400 megawatts of solar-generated electricity.

Solar can help Texas meet demand because it generates electricity at peak times and reduces the need to operate older, expensive “peaking” units that utilities fire up to meet demand on hot summer afternoons, said Emily Duncan, manager of government affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Cris Eugster, chief sustainability officer for CPS, said the utility recently has focused on utility-scale solar.

In a recent agreement with California-based SunEdison, CPS got a fixed price for 19.8 megawatts of solar over a 25-year contract.

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In addition, “it's easy and fast to deploy many megawatts” of solar, and it uses little to no water, Eugster said.

That was followed by CPS' agreement with OCI Solar, which would be the nation's largest solar project for a municipal utility.

One megawatt is enough to power 200 homes on a hot afternoon when air-conditioners are running.

Tuesday's luncheon conference was presented by Solar San Antonio, a nonprofit that encourages the use of solar energy. Co-sponsors included the Texas Solar Energy Society, the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association, SA 2020 and Mission Verde Alliance.